Snobike Mike
Banned
There is some irony in here somewhere, I just can't seem to put my finger on it........
Mexican drug violence. What to do?
- Thread starter jc100
- Start date
Roadghost
Well-known member
They have two choices. They can either arm the public and organize militias or they can legalize cocaine, heroin and marijuana. They are not going to stop it with low-paid police forces that are corrupted by bribes. The current solutions are futile. There are a couple of very good documentaries on Netflix about this. One guy armed the local town, started a militia, wiped out the cartel in their area, only to have his organization corrupted by the Mexican government. It's a very sad tale.
If they ever got the crime rate down, I would be the first to buy a house in Mexico. But that's just not very realistic with current crime problems.
If they ever got the crime rate down, I would be the first to buy a house in Mexico. But that's just not very realistic with current crime problems.
Actually they are opium production was almost zero from Afghanistan when the Taliban was in charge
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Felt beyond safe roaming around Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum. Didn't stay at a resort, rented a car and drove all over the place. The most dangerous thing I saw were the Topes, gigantic speed bumps that will total your car if you miss the sign for one.
Tijuana felt a bit sketchier, but still pretty damn safe.
Would not hesitate to go back to Mexico.
Sad that a lot of responses to this question are strictly from the persepctive of Mexico as our rightous holiday destination for a winter retreat, rather than the lives of Mexicans and future of Mexico having any value in their own right. Don't they deserve safety and democracy regardless of how nice their beaches are for us?
The less selfish answer offered is to tax drugs, which is part of the strategy IMO. The other side of that same coin is to fight poverty because as much as it's true that we can't fight human nature, people aren't naturally inclined to take narcotics for no reason. We do it out of desperation.
Of course the poverty I'm referring to is in the US, which is where the market for so much of Mexican drugs resides. But the complete strategy including anti-poverty measures sounds to much like the USSR for it to ever see action in the US. The other thing that will never happen in the US is tighter gun control, which would benefit Mexico (and us) since that's the source of the majority of their weapons. It's amazing how the disproportionate fear of commies in the US really makes it such a negative influence in the world.
Well, the CIA selling drugs to fight commies is a pretty good illustration.
You mean to fund various rebel groups? They were doing it beforehand, and they're still doing it today. I suppose most of their hostile foreign policy would be classed as disproportionate. 30 years ago it was commies, now its Islamist terrorists, etc.
Opium production which was almost entirely eradicated by the taliban, until we showed up.
He's right though. 'Muslim' does not equal 'Taliban', and right now non-Taliban Muslims aren't against opium production in Afghanistan.
Pretty much.
The point is that as much as Americans believe Mexico is harmful to them, America is an absolute devastation to Mexico.
80% of their exports are to the US, they can't live without America.
I wonder how much of that is grow or perish, be that by violence, or simple lack of necessities this production pays for. Point I guess I was trying to make was under stable rule, whether the western ideal or not, the Taliban actually worked quite hard at eliminating the problem. But you're right, the statement didn't accurately address the one I quoted.
Recreational desperation?
My solution: Don't go there.
I have been to Mexico before, twice, on various cruises over the years...but I never went too far from the ship and was careful to stay inside the touristy area with notable police presence, and we've never done any excursions there we we'd end up anywhere at risk.
Back on ship after a few hours, and gone. Outside that, it's off my list.
Come to think of it, I kind of feel the same way about the USA right now for that matter.
I have been to Mexico before, twice, on various cruises over the years...but I never went too far from the ship and was careful to stay inside the touristy area with notable police presence, and we've never done any excursions there we we'd end up anywhere at risk.
Back on ship after a few hours, and gone. Outside that, it's off my list.
Come to think of it, I kind of feel the same way about the USA right now for that matter.
We have seen it in other countries. Once corruption gets too ingrained severe actions are needed to right the ship, actions that are in themselves considered illegal and immoral.
The court and legal system cannot clean up the mess because too many officials are on the take (police, judges, etc.) or they just fear for their lives. You take them down they take down your family... In other countries (Peru as an example, Philippines today) the officials just sink to their level and start killing off the cartels through hits etc. Repeat until they are weak enough to deal with, hope the government does not just make their buddies the new cartel leaders, trials for the government leaders at the end as criminals in international courts (for violating the rights of the cartel leaders)...
As for legalizing drugs, they will take a financial hit but it is naive to think they will just go away. These are sophisticated criminal enterprises, they will adapt and move (or increase) into other areas. Maybe other drugs that are not yet legal, maybe human trafficking, who knows--what we do know is they will not just go legit and open Taco Bell franchises. Did the Mafia in the US die off at the end or prohibition, and they were no where near as bad as these guys? At best they were weaker and a few of the top guys were in jail, they still recovered.
Some more food for thought. One of the big hurdles to Mexican manufacturing are the non-value-added costs due to the corruption and the required security. So, does the US (any administration) really want it truly cleaned up? They benefit from it, just enough of a problem to keep them down and to give corporations pause about moving there. Of course Trump's idea of a wall and crushing their economy through tariffs will just make all this worse, less legit business, more crime, more people crashing the border as economic refugees. It will cause more US jobs I guess by crashing Mexico, but more illegal immigrants as well.
The court and legal system cannot clean up the mess because too many officials are on the take (police, judges, etc.) or they just fear for their lives. You take them down they take down your family... In other countries (Peru as an example, Philippines today) the officials just sink to their level and start killing off the cartels through hits etc. Repeat until they are weak enough to deal with, hope the government does not just make their buddies the new cartel leaders, trials for the government leaders at the end as criminals in international courts (for violating the rights of the cartel leaders)...
As for legalizing drugs, they will take a financial hit but it is naive to think they will just go away. These are sophisticated criminal enterprises, they will adapt and move (or increase) into other areas. Maybe other drugs that are not yet legal, maybe human trafficking, who knows--what we do know is they will not just go legit and open Taco Bell franchises. Did the Mafia in the US die off at the end or prohibition, and they were no where near as bad as these guys? At best they were weaker and a few of the top guys were in jail, they still recovered.
Some more food for thought. One of the big hurdles to Mexican manufacturing are the non-value-added costs due to the corruption and the required security. So, does the US (any administration) really want it truly cleaned up? They benefit from it, just enough of a problem to keep them down and to give corporations pause about moving there. Of course Trump's idea of a wall and crushing their economy through tariffs will just make all this worse, less legit business, more crime, more people crashing the border as economic refugees. It will cause more US jobs I guess by crashing Mexico, but more illegal immigrants as well.
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Trump wants to crush the Mexican economy? I haven't seen his latest tweets but I'm almost certain he only doesn't want US companies setting up in Mexico and then imorportante back to US.
